Freebies time!!

Holaaaaaaaa! It's official, our summer is over! Long gone are the temperatures in the 20's and back come the torrential downpours you think you'd only find in monsoon season in a rainforest! It's depressing, I've got all my summer clothes out and now I've got nowhere to wear them :-(

But when the weathers bad, what better to cheer you up than some freebies!!

My favourite Facebook page at the minute is an absolute brilliant one called '10 Ways To Have More Money As A Student Without Working'!! It's a site run by some brilliant smart and savvy guys that have an eye out for freebies, price glitches and special offers! You can sign up to their Facebook just by pressing the little thumbs up button, sign up to their e-mail updates HERE! or follow them on Twitter! I'd advise signing up to the e-mail updates, there's no spam and it means you get every single little bit of data they post, because sometimes Facebook can delay the posts and it means you miss out on the offers!

My two favourite freebies I've claimed from 10 Ways recently are a Chanel mascara and 2 FULL SIZE Cetaphil products! Neither of these are cheap, especially when you maybe just wanna try something out! So it's definitely worth while checking them out to see what goodies you can find!

These are two great products from Cetaphil's Restoraderm line! I got a body wash and a moisturiser! They're formulated for sensitive skin which I think is great because it means everyone can use them! They are both fragrance free and the moisturiser is preservative free as well - super if you like to keep things natural! I'm totally chuffed with both of these products and really wanna try out some more Cetaphil products now!!

I got a lovely little sample of Le Volume De Chanel Mascara and I loveeee it! I always manage to get addicted to new mascara, and they tend to have a big pricetag! I love the brush on this mascara, it's a plastic brush with lots of little bristles that mean you can catch every lash! The fullsize version is £24 though so I'm gonna have to think long and hard before I run out to purchase this!

 For some reason all this months magazine's are firing out absolutely brilliant freebies as well! It's just made me more tempted into buying them! Marie Claire (rrp £3.90) have a mini Ciate Caviar Nail Polish set and it's absolutely gorgeousss!! The set is made up of a mini version of   Cookies and Cream and the caviar beads in 'Shooting Star' which is a mix of gold, pearl and iridescent coloured beads! It's so pretty! I never would have purchased it myself, but after trying Ciate's polishes I'd definitely be more likely to try now! They're a gorgeous consistency which goes onto the nail flawlessly and only requires a few coats to become opaque! Even without the beads Cookies and Cream is a beautiful nude that's gonna be suitable for all year round!

   Glamour, which is on offer at £1(!!!) has a choice of 5 Model Co products to choose from, all of which are worth either £15 or £16! To me that just makes sense and therefore I had to buy all the options I could find! I got a nude gloss, a nude lip pencil and a black eyeliner! All of which are lovely! The pencils are lovely and creamy and don't tug on your skin and the gloss has the nicest taste ever! It tastes (and smells) like the whistle lollipops you used to get when you were small! So nostalgic! They also have a mascara and a red lip gloss, and I'm definitely gonna try to find them before the magazine goes off the shelves! £5 for £78 worth of product is brilliant! High 5 Glamour!!

 Other magazines have freebies too! I've seen makeup bags possibly in Company, a pair of nice sunglasses in another and a Leighton Denny polish floating about too in Harper's Bazaar! I couldn't find a colour I liked but if I do I think I'll be picking one up! The magazines are definitely using these products as loss-leaders to shift sales and hopefully recreate return purchases! But if they keep up the good work I know I'll definitely keep buying! I apologise for the crappy picture quality because they're so small, Blogger and me were having a rough patch because he wouldn't co-operate! Hopefully we'll have sorted out our differences by next time..

Until then my lovelies <3
xxxx

Quick FOTD!

Getting a call from your mother at 8.30am to say you've to take your little brother to the doctors for half9 is not the best start to any day, especially after a bad nights sleep! My priorities were to stay in bed as long as possible and sacrificing any chance of looking nicely made up! 

With only 10 mins to get ready, I stuck on a little concealer on my blemishes (which there are a lot of recently!!) and under my eyes to hide any dark circles! I filled in my eyebrows with just the powder of Benefit's Browzings to save time! A few coats of Rimmel London's Endless Lash Accelerator and a coating of MUA's Power Pout I'm 'Crazy in Love' on my lips! 

My hair was a mess, the only downside to short hair is that when you wake up it generally resembles a crow's nest, so I stuck on a beanie.. A comfy tee and a black skater shirt (because it's still warm in Northern Ireland!) and I was ready to go!!

Not the greatest look but easy for running about being Big Sis Taxi's and doing any messages that I had.. How grown up do I sound?? ;-) it actually felt nice to let my skin breathe in the nice weather without layers of makeup clogging up my skin!

Do you have any quick-fix makeup tricks? Let me know in the comments, or drop me a tweet @RachelVennard :-) I'd love to hear from you! 

Until next time! Mwahhhh xx

Multi-use blushes?!

Heyyyyyyyy! 

It's been such a nice week! Summer has finally arrived! So jealous of my friends getting to go to Parklife in Manchester this weekend, I totally regret not buying tickets now :( SAD RACHEL!

Anywooo, my boyfriend dozed off on me when we were sitting in the living room watching TV the other day,  without anyone to talk to I got a little distracted and picked up 'Bon Bon', one of MUA's 2013 blushes!

There is a range of 6 which have been released and for a change they have names!! I love the fact MUA ae starting to name their products, it gives so much more character to the product!

The little beauties are all named after sweeties or munchies.. and they're £1 each! Bargain :)

You can find all 6 shades HERE!

Bon Bon is a gorgeous apricot colour, and a lovely creamy consistency! 

All of MUA's blushers are so easy to blend and I love that, makes it so easy to use!

Due to my boredom I decided to whack some of this beauty on my lips to see what it looked like.. And oh my goodness I was so surprised!! It was gorgeous on, and totally different to any lipstick shade I've ever had!

It sits really well on the lips and blends in lovely! It really doesn't take a lot of product to cover the whole lips, but with the price tag at £1 you can afford to use as much as you like!

I like a very matte lipstick so this is perfect for me, but if you prefer a sheen or a more moisturising finish I'm afraid this alone won't be enough for you! However if you used a lip balm before putting this on it would stop it being such a cakey finish and slightly more forgiving on the lips! This is the result I ended up with when I tried with some Vaseline underneath! A darker shade but still loooovely!

Definitely going to try and use this method with some of my other blushes! It's automatically increased my possible lip colour options dramatically!

What do you think of blusher as a lip product?
Do you like the finish it gives?

Let me know in the comments :)

I've a lot of MUA products floating around in my new product inbox so expect to see that name pop up regularly on the blog in the next few weeks!

Chat soon you beauties! x

Nails Of The Day!

Hi guys! Just a quick post on my current nail look! I'm a bit of an acrylics fiend but because I'm home and can't afford to keep up my addiction I've tried to go cold turkey!! My nails are in such poor condition because of the acrylics, so please excuse their disgustingness! 

This is a very simple nail look but I think it's quite an effective one! If you used other colours you could have the other 4 fingers painted the other colour, but unfortunately the white wasnt strong enough to cover the blue!

I just used Sellotape to cover over the white and give me a straight line for the blue! Easy peasy!! 

I used Miss Sporty's Cool Clubbing Colours in the bright blue shade, but it doesn't have a name unfortunately :( I think you can find this cheap as chips in Superdrug, probably around the £3 mark!!

The white is an Essie polish in Waltz! It's not the strongest white and you do need a few layers to make it opaque.. But it was a bargain! I got this on Fragrance Direct at £1.99!! Definitely worth checking it out to see if they're still at this bargain price! I got 4 Essie polishes for the price of one in Boots!!

Finally the top coat I used was MUA's Clear Top Coat.. As per usual with the majority of their products it was £1! Can't beat that :-) I think it's a good top coat, and if you use it every other day it really does keep your nails looking shiny! I had Seche Vite's top coat but it went gloopy far too quickly and the brush was too short, so half the polish went to waste! I wouldn't spend £8 on Seche Vite when you can buy one I find just as good for £1!

Let me know of any other simple nail art, I really struggle and any ideas would be appreciated!!

Rachel x 

50 Facts About Me Tag!!

Helloooooo!

It's officially June! This is the 6th month of 2013.. THat means we're almost half way through this year.. In no time again it'll be the countdown to Christmas!! This is just mental! 

This '50 Facts About Me' Tag is one that was circulating back on Youtube a few months ago.. It probably works better on camera but I'm not quite ready for that, shyness and also as my mum has said due to my throat infection that I sound like a teenage boy who's voice is breaking.. Awkward. 

Sooooo, without further ado.. Lets get started!!

1. I've been with my boyfriend Reece for almost 4 years! It's been a bumpy ride with up's and down's along the way but things are good now!

2. I have an extreme phobia of freezers and ice. It's irrational, but even thinking about them makes my skin creep like crazy!!

3. I'm 20, and 2 years infront of everyone in my Uni class! No-one really notices but I do feel like a grandma sometimes!

4. Soda water and blackcurrant juice is my favourite non-alcoholic drink in the world! Basically zero calories but gives you that fizzy juice buzz!

5. I have an obsession with Heinz tomato ketchup! I refuse to eat anything else.. And I put it on just about anything!

6. Anything I don't put ketchup on (e.g. potatoes, soup) .. I put HP Brown Sauce on. It's always one or the other!

7. I have a year and a half old Shih Tzu called Harper.. She's my baby and I love her! Being away from her when I'm at uni is one of the hardest things :(

8. My parents are divorced.. Not a biggie to me anymore! My dad's remarried and my mum isn't! 

9. My mum is my best friend! We had a lot of arguments when I was growing up (dodgy teenage years) but we've came out even stronger! I speak to her everyday when I'm away in Manchester.. She still even phones me in the morning to wake me for class!!

10. I am currently unemployed! I'm hoping to find work for over the summer when I'm home in Northern Ireland.. I love having a job!

11. I have a very close knit group of friends! I get on with everyone, but I trust very few people!! 

This is me, Reece, Becca and Jill! They ma homies! <3

I have my uni friends too obviously.. Lauren, Lizzie, Alice, Hayley and Lucy! So excited to live with these guys next year! YAY!

12. I'm an extremely fussy eater, and whenever I go out for a meal... I nearly always get chicken goujons! 

13. I love bargain shopping! Primark, Internacionale and ASOS sale items are the base of my wardrobe! 

14. I have 2 tattoos.. A dream catcher on my ribs, and a double infinity symbol on my right hip! My friends and I tend to go together to get them done... I'm getting the urge again now!!

15. I have 2 holes in my lobes pierced, my nose and my tragus pierced! I love the pain from getting them done, unfortunately my body doesn't response well.. Particularly to cartilage piercings :( meaning my last piercing, my helix, had to come out :( 

16. My little brother is 17 and basically a giant! He's so much taller than me, I feel like I'm the little sister :) 

17. I LOVE a freebie! I'm addicted to this Facebook page !! They post deals of price glitchs, online bargains and even Freebies! From 10 Ways I've received E45, Nivea and L'Oreal Samples, 2 Full size samples of Cetaphil and a Chanel mascara! I'm hopefully gonna do a more indepth post on these soon :)

18. I have a crap immune system! I spend at least half of the year sick with some cold/flu/virus!

19. I get regular migraines.. They are the worst! Mine are so bad at the minute I'm easily getting 4 a week.. They cripple me and nothing I've tried so far is curing them :((

20. I'm addicted to food programmes!! Man Vs Food, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, Masterchef, The Great British Bake Off.. I could sit and watch them all day!! 

21. I love owls! They're my favourite animals! I have an owl iPhone cover, owl tissues, owl keyrings, owl teddys.. Everything! I even got to hold the first owl that you see in the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone!!  How gorgeous is he!! 

22. Typical Irish stereotype.. But I love potatoes. 

23. I used to be obsessed with The Powerpuff Girls! I went to L.A when I was 10, everything I bought in Target was hot pink with the Powerpuff Girls on it! Blossom was my fave!

24. I love concerts! I used to go to 6 or 7 a year! But I'm poor now and concerts have went up so much in price I just can't afford it anymore! Some of my favourites have been Eminem, Oasis and Justin Timberlake!!

25. I love the Kardashians! Kris, Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, Kylie, Kendall, Rob, Bruce! I love them all!! I wish I could have that life for myself, their bodies, their wardrobes.. and their bank balances!!

26. I've never been athletic! I wish I had done more sports and stuff when I was in junior high school, but my friends weren't sporty and I stuck with them! Trying to increase my fitness now, I've started back to the gym and I'm walking nearly everyday too!

27. I LOVE Iggy Azalea! I seen her at Radio 1's Big Weekend! I was front row and I touched her *yay*! Such an energy packed set and she has a body to die for!! She tweeted me last weekend, I nearly died :) So excited for her album 'The New Classic' to be released!! Hopefully she'll tour with it and I'll get to see her in a full show :DDDD 
If you haven't heard of her get on Youtube.. She's gonna get BIG!

28. I love shoes! I have probably more than 50 pairs, even though it scares me to admit that! Trainers/Sneakers are my new favourite purchases! I love going out in Manchester, heels are not required! My feet love being able to wear my high tops out!! The Nike Store at the Outlet in Banbridge is my favourite trainer destination! Especially because I fit in the kids trainers so I end up getting BARGAINS! :)

29.  I don't like desserts, sweet things don't usually do it for me! Crisps or savoury things like bread over sweets anyday!

30. I drive a Renault Clio! It's not the fanciest, but it's my baby and I'd be lost without her!

31. I've got flowers one time in my life, and they were roses from my boy :) such a special feeling to get off an airplane and him to be standing there with roses.. N'awwhhhh :)

32. I love The Big Bang Theory! I love all of the guys and their nerdy personalities!! And every girl fancies Penny too!! Girlcrush :)

33. I have such a weird taste in music! I really do like a little bit of everything, pop, rock, indie, grime, rnb, hiphop, dance, dubstep, house.. I love it all! I love being able to go to nearly any club and know I'm gonna like the tunes! 

34. I love going out for a night out, I enjoy drinking and I love partying with my friends :) I'm not ashamed to admit I like to drink, but I don't like to do it all the time.. Majorly because of the hideous hangovers I get!!

35. I will admit it.. I'm broody! But there's gonna be no babies until I'm at least late late 20's! :D

36. I love online shopping, such a bad habit but retail therapy is the best therapy!

37. I love the Compare the Meerkats ads! Alesander is so cute! I hate living in Northern Ireland because you can't get free cuddly meerkat toy. Sad Rachel :(

38. I hate Chinese food! I don't like the flavours at all, nothing appeals to me :( my boyfriend loves it though, so when we order together I get a half chips, half fried rice.. and eat it with ketchup! Top notch ;-)

39. Friends will never get old! I usually hate watching reruns of TV programmes, but I've got into the habit of watching old episodes again and I love it all over again!! I still cry like a baby at the final episode.. RACHEL GOT OFF THE PLANE! 

40. I did well at school, I studied 10 GCSE's and got 3 A*'s and 7 A's, and 4 AS levels and came out with 2 A's, a B and a C! But I still dropped out! A Levels were not for me! You shouldn't feel pressured to do something your not happy with!! I was sacrificing my health to do well and it wasn't worth it! I dropped out and studied a BTEC in Food Nutrition and Health at Loughry College and it was the best decision I ever made! 

41. I really fancy Adam Richman from Man Vs Food. You know he'd take you to the best restaurants!!

42. I hate rats and mice! The tails sicken me.. yuck yuck yuck! Even the thought of it makes me wanna be sick!!

43. I'm usually the vommer on a night out! There's always one in the group!! Either that, or the crier! One night Becca and Jill didn't even know what to do I managed to get myself into such a bad fit of crying hysterics! 

44. I like vodka. I like cider. I like beer. I like rum. I like alcohol.

45. I broke my collar bone chasing after a bouncy ball at scout camp when I was 11! I went canoeing the next day and put it even more out of place, didn't realise for 2 weeks it was broken.. And even now if I go bowling I can feel my collarbone ache.. 9 YEARS LATER. 

46. I haven't been able to find a bottle of coke with my name on it! 

47. I really dislike Jessie J! She looks hot with her buzz cut, but I can't stand her personality or her music! MEH.

48. Cara Delevingne is a queen! I really want her Blackscore Queen Delevingne tshirt! 

49. I was front row at one of the Manchester auditions for this year Britain's Got Talent! We were speaking to Alesha, Amanda and David and they are all so nice! We seen Jack Caroll perform so I'd love to see him win!!

50. My left half of my body is completely different to the right size of my body! My left boob and foot is bigger than the right, and my left eye is a completely different shape to my right! It's a nightmare trying to do eyeliner! They never end up the same :(

PHEWWWW! No joke I've been doing that for 2 hours! But I'm finally finished :)

I hope you enjoyed finding out some more personal things about me :)

Chat soon guys,

Rachel x

My Make-Up Storage!

Hi again!!! It's been a week since Radio 1's One Big Weekend.. I have festival blues (major sad face) and I'm potentially dying from a combination of the flu/kidney infection and a throat infection.. I think this is my body's way of saying I need to take it a little bit easier after such a big weekend!!

This is just a little post about how I store my makeup! I don't have a HUGE collection, but compared to this time last year my makeup collection has about quadrupled in size! I was the girl that had one of everything and didn't use blush, primer, powder or much lipstick... So I'm basically a completely different person now :)

Most of these items are bargains from 'Pound World' in The Quays shopping centre in Newry!!

These are two little stacked drawers which I have blu-tacked together to keep them together! They were £1 each.. Total bargain!! Each set has 2 drawers each.. I have mine separated into... 

1. Base Products
2. Face Products
3. Eye Products 
4. Lip Products

They don't hold alll of the makeup I own but the majority of it! Any extra gets stored in the drawer under my mirror and I check it about once a week to see if there's anything else I fancy swapping :)

                                                             

I keep my smaller brushes (eyeshadow brushes, lip brushes and concealer brushes) in the little flower watering can.. Another £1 steal from Pound World! My bigger brushes, like my Real Techniques buffing brush and expert face brush, alongside my brow gel and tweezers stay in my mum's beautiful crystal vase! I think this was potentially a wedding gift and probably very expensive so I'm kind of looking for something less valuable to keep my bigger brushes in! Too afraid of breaking this!

My lipsticks get kept in my newest purchase! This is a 24 lipstick holder I found on eBay! You can buy it here! It's a bargain at £2.99! It comes from Hong Kong so there could potentially be long delivery times but mine was pretty speedy!! The only problem is I now feel the urge to fill the rest of the slots, and truth be told I do NOT need anymore lipsticks!

Finally, after seeing some inspiration from the lovely Faye on her nail polish storage I decided I wanted some glass containers! I have two of these huge jars and you'll never guess how much I paid for them.. £1 each :) All of my nail varnishes nearly fit into one, that's how big they are! Mind you I've newly discovered Barry M's Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paints (yes I know I'm late to that party) so my 2nd jar will probably fill up soon!!

Hope this maybe gave you a little help with ideas for how to store your makeup!

Chat soon!

Rachel, x.